


puppy love

by tatoeba



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Domestic, M/M, Puppies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-05
Updated: 2013-11-05
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:47:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatoeba/pseuds/tatoeba
Summary: Jongin and Chanyeol can’t decide on what type of pet to get.





	puppy love

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this [prompt](http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/63967061902/imagine-your-otp-decided-to-get-a-puppy-and-trying), but really just an excuse to write kaiyeol and puppies ;~~~;

“We need a guard dog,” Chanyeol says insistently, tapping the picture of a German Shepherd on on his laptop screen. “That’s why we need a big dog, like this. Or a retriever.”

Sitting beside him, cheek pressed up against Chanyeol’s shoulder, Jongin rolls his eyes. “We don’t need a guard dog. We live on the tenth floor of an apartment building.”

“So? We can train it to bite Jongdae when he tries to pick his way into the apartment,” Chanyeol says.

Jongin laughs. “Now you’re just being an idiot,” he says, reaching out both hands to slide the laptop over onto his legs. “I want something smaller. We don’t have that much space for a big dog, anyway.” He scrolls through some photos and then points. “Look at this!! It’s so cute.”

Chanyeol peers at the screen. It’s a small fluffy looking toy poodle. “Small dogs are annoying though,” he says and gets a half-hearted smack to his chest.

“No, they’re not,” Jongin says. “They’re no more annoying than any other dog, honestly. The small ones won’t take up as much room and they’re _so cute_.” He points at another picture of a small terrier.

"They're cute but they're so small...always running around under your feet and--"

"Chanyeol, are you afraid of small dogs?" Jongin asks, voice dripping with amusement as he turns to look at him. Chanyeol shoves at him and shakes his head.

"No!" he insists. "I just think the bigger ones are more fun. Golden retrievers are so pretty, man."

"But I've wanted a poodle for ages." Jongin pouts, like that is gonna make Chanyeol change his mind. If they were talking about dinner, it might have worked, but not on this. Chanyeol is resolute.

"How can you say no to this?" Chanyeol demands, pulling up a picture of a retriever.

Jongin just snatches the computer back and finds pictures of an admittedly adorable looking toy poodle. "What about you?" he exclaims, continuing on to show Chanyeol a picture of a dachshund, a pomeranian, and more poodles.

Chanyeol eventually sees enough cute pictures to last him a lifetime and he tugs the laptop away, sets it onto the coffee table. "Are we seriously going to fight over a pet?" he asks, tugging Jongin in close and threading his hand through his soft brown hair.

Jongin sighs, leaning back against him and replies, “It’s a very serious matter, okay.”

Chanyeol hums thoughtfully and for a while they sit in silence, Jongin’s soft breaths against his shoulder as Chanyeol continues to slip his fingers through his hair. He thinks Jongin’s maybe fallen asleep but then he pulls away suddenly, looking at Chanyeol with determination in his eyes.

“Okay, so you know what kind of dog you want, right?” he asks and Chanyeol blinks and slowly nods. “I know what I want. Why don’t we just say it together, and see. If we can agree then--”

“Then that’s what we get,” Chanyeol says with a laugh. “All right. On three.”

Jongin counts slowly up from one and just as Chanyeol calls out, “Retriever!” in a loud voice, Jongin, surprisingly, says, “Retriever!” too.

A big grin spreads across Chanyeol’s face as he throws his arms in the air with a triumphant shout. Jongin, on the other hand, is gaping at him, before his expression turns dark and he smacks Chanyeol repeatedly in the chest.

“You were supposed to say poodle, fuck you,” he grumbles irritably as Chanyeol starts to laugh. “I was being considerate about your feelings, I can’t believe you just went with what you wanted.”

“That’s how you win,” Chanyeol replies. “Guess we’re getting a retriever.”

Jongin shoves him so hard Chanyeol flops back against the arm of the couch. “This doesn’t count, you’re a fucking dick.”

Chanyeol reaches out and grabs a fistful of Jongin’s shirt, yanking him down against his chest. “Aww, don’t be upset, Jongin,” he says, patting his back soothingly even as Jongin tries to wrestle away. “Why don’t we take the week to think about it and then on Saturday we can make our decision and go look at some shops?”

It takes a moment but Jongin finally relaxes against him, heaving out a deep breath. “Fine,” he mumbles into Chanyeol’s collarbone. “I guess that’s fair.” He pauses then, drawing away to look down at Chanyeol’s face. “And what if we don’t agree?”

Chanyeol smiles, pushes Jongin’s bangs away from his face and answers, “We’ll figure something out,” before leaning up to kiss him.

-

Chanyeol quickly realizes he may have underestimated Jongin’s desire for a poodle. Two days later Chanyeol wakes up to find a picture of an adorable toy poodle set as the background of his iPhone. Not only that, but Jongin seems to have made the desktop of his laptop a rotating slideshow of a bunch of small dog breeds. His screensaver is now a floating image of a sad looking poodle with a message in Jongin's writing that says _don't you want me? :(_

Chanyeol just laughs it all off. It's cute, how determined Jongin is in changing his mind. Chanyeol is not gonna budge though, no matter how much Jongin tries. On Wednesday there's a calendar tacked to their fridge of small puppies on the pages. Thursday, Chanyeol finds a book stuck in his bag about different types of dogs, all the pages on poodles and terriers and whatever else marked with blue post it flags.

"Maybe we should just get a cat," Chanyeol tells Jongin Friday morning when he finds an email from Jongin with a bunch of photos of poodles attached.

"Cats are boring," Jongin replies easily as he tugs on his jeans. “Not to mention evil. Don’t you remember how Zitao’s cat tried to claw my eyes out?”

Chanyeol laughs. “That’s because you told Zitao it was fat,” he says.

“My point exactly,” Jongin stresses and he knocks Chanyeol’s hands away so he can help put on his tie properly. When he finishes, he twists the end of the tie around his hand and tugs Chanyeol down the few inches to meet his lips in a kiss. “We’re getting a poodle,” he says when he pulls back, grinning widely before he lets go and picks up his bag to head off for work.

“We’ll see about that!” Chanyeol shouts after him.

-

As it turns out though, neither of them are willing to give in by the weekend. They visit a couple of pet shops and adoption centers in the area and Jongin falls in love with every tiny poodle he sees. It’s really kind of cute, Chanyeol has to admit, watching Jongin pet the fluffy things gently with this loving look in his eyes. In the end they can’t come to a decision, not after Chanyeol sees the new litter of golden retrievers at one of the adoption centers and contemplates buying all of them. Jongin almost has to drag him out of the building but Chanyeol doesn’t miss the way Jongin’s eyes had lit up when he’d looked at the puppies, too.

“I guess we don’t have to rush this,” Chanyeol admits as they head home, taking the umbrella from Jongin to hold it above their heads. “It’s not like we’re going anywhere.”

“True,” Jongins says, sticking as close to his side as possible without getting too much in the way. “And if we’re both going to be this stubborn about what we want, maybe we should wait a little.”

Chanyeol nods. “We’ll find something soon,” he says. “Now can you stop putting up pictures of poodles everywhere. I think I’m going crazy.”

Jongin laughs. “All right,” he says and then pouts a little. “I can’t believe that didn’t work though.”

“It almost did,” Chanyeol admits and Jongin looks at him skeptically. “As in I thought about it for a second. But then I came to my senses.”

Jongin sniffs and nudges Chanyeol off the sidewalk into a puddle along the side of the road. Laughing, Chanyeol kicks muddy water toward Jongin who doesn’t manage to jump away in time. Instead he glares at Chanyeol then down at his dirtied pant legs, and reaches out to snatch the umbrella back from Chanyeol, heading off down the street. Chanyeol catches up to him quickly enough, ducking under the umbrella even as Jongin pretends to shove him away again.

“Hey, you’re the one who tried underhanded tactics,” Chanyeol says, “I was just banking on you being nice and changing your mind.”

“You could’ve retaliated,” Jongin says. “And my plan wasn’t underhanded, it was smart.”

Chanyeol snorts. “Whatever you say, Jongin,” he replies and Jongin shoves him out into the rain again.

-

They don't talk about the pets for the rest of the weekend, just putting it out of their minds entirely with the hope that maybe when they discuss it in a few weeks they'll be able to reach a solid decision.

Of course that is all easier said than done, and Chanyeol feels a little disappointed they couldn't agree on something. They had been talking about getting a dog for months and he's a little sad that they have to put it off just because neither of them are willing to change their minds. It is a pretty dumb thing to be fighting over; Chanyeol would love a retriever but a poodle wouldn't be so bad. Especially after he saw how cute Jongin looked with one. He's pretty sure that goes for Jongin, too, that if Chanyeol went back to that adoption center and got one of those puppies that Jongin would fall in love with it within minutes.

It’s not until halfway through the next week that Chanyeol comes home from work with the intention of letting Jongin know he’s okay with getting a poodle. He just wants a pet, one that they can call _theirs_ , a little addition to their very small family. And if everything goes okay with this one, maybe in a few years they can get a retriever like Chanyeol wants. That sounds pretty good to Chanyeol, really.

He has everything planned in his head, they could even stop by one of the shops tonight if they wanted, but the second Chanyeol gets home and hears the unmistakable bark of a dog, he stops dead in his tracks. It doesn’t quite sound like the TV, much more real than that, and Chanyeol hastily stumbles out of his shoes and drops his bag in the hallway. He heads into the living room to find Jongin lying on the floor with two small puppies climbing up over his chest. One of them is clearly the little poodle Jongin loved, and the other is an adorable retriever from the litter they saw over the weekend.

“What--” Chanyeol starts but the rest of his words sort of die on his tongue because he’s a little stuck.

“Hey,” Jongin says, finally noticing him. He sits up, cuddling the poodle in his arms while the retriever barks and settles in his lap. “Welcome home.” He grins widely and holds the poodle up toward Chanyeol. “So, I thought of a compromise.”

Chanyeol is half torn between thinking that this is the worst idea (they can’t take care of _two_ puppies!!) and wanting to kiss the happy grin on Jongin’s face because his boyfriend is a genius. In the end it’s a mix of the two that he goes with, joining Jongin on the floor and greeting him with a kiss. “This is insane,” he tells him afterward. “How are we gonna take care of two puppies at once?”

“We’ll make it work,” Jongin replies confidently. “I just didn’t think we’d ever come to an agreement and I’d been looking forward to our new pet for _ages_ and--”

Chanyeol cuts him off with another kiss. “I get it,” he says, and he thinks Jongin doesn’t need to know about Chanyeol’s decision earlier that day. He takes the retriever from him and coos at him, scratching it behind the ears and Chanyeol’s heart melts as it rests its head on his thighs and stares at him sleepily.

Next to him, Jongin is still grinning, playing happily with the poodle which Chanyeol has to admit is really adorable. Its soft brown curls match the ones on Jongin’s head and he laughs to himself. Jongin glances at him then, brows furrowed questioningly, but Chanyeol just shakes his head and throws an arm around Jongin’s shoulder. He kisses his temple and reaches down to pet the poodle as the retriever licks tentatively at Jongin’s fingers. His chest tightens, warmth spreading throughout his body as he takes in the puppies and Jongin’s solid presence next to him. His perfect little family.

“You know we’re gonna just end up arguing over what to name them now, right?” he asks.

Jongin laughs. “How about you just name the retriever, and I’ll name the poodle and we can’t complain?”

“Good plan,” Chanyeol says and Jongin seals the deal with a kiss as the puppies scramble across their laps and yip.

-

It doesn’t take long at all for them to get used to the puppies. The toy poodle that Jongin had wanted so much has taken a strange liking to Chanyeol instead, following it around at his heels and barking whenever it wants attention. Jongin fails to hide his amusement over it, especially when Jjangu startles him every time; Chanyeol really isn’t used to small dogs. Thankfully Jongin will wordlessly sweep in and pick Jjangu up so Chanyeol doesn’t trip over him, and holds him up to Chanyeol’s face so he can lick at him until Chanyeol is laughing and pushing them both away. The golden retriever that Chanyeol wanted is a hyperactive ball of fluff, running around both of their feet and trying to climb onto the coffee table and getting lost in their basket of laundry. And just as Chanyeol knew he would, Jongin takes a liking to Potato (“I can’t believe you named our pet after food!”) almost instantly (just once he gets over Chanyeol giving him that name).

Chanyeol loves waking up in the mornings to eager puppy kisses and Jongin’s sleepy eyes, loves spending Saturday afternoons on a walk even if he has to chase after Potato when he escapes from Chanyeol’s grasp, leash dragging down the ground after him, loves that when he comes home on days that Jongin works late that he’s not completely alone, that Jjangu and Potato are immediately at his side wanting attention that Chanyeol is more than happy to give. He finds it super adorable when Jongin tries to give the puppies a bath and ends up with more soap and water on himself and he enjoys the way Jongin retaliates at his laughter by launching himself at him and tickling his sides and their puppies join in on the fun, getting water all over the bathroom floor while Jongin’s tickling soon turns into kisses, soft and sweet against his lips. Jongin likes to look up stupid youtube videos about how to train dogs to do dumb things and Chanyeol gets a kick out of watching Jongin try to make Jjangu play dead.

“I don’t think they’re quite old enough for those tricks yet,” Chanyeol tells him when Jongin gives up to let Jjangu roll over his chest. “We should make sure they’re properly potty trained before then.”

“I guess,” Jongin replies, a wide grin crossing his face when Potato climbs up onto his leg and yips at Jjangu. “Eventually though, we’re gonna teach them a lot.”

“They’ll be the smartest dogs ever,” Chanyeol agrees and he tosses the little toy bone down the hall for them to retrieve, laughing with Jongin when neither one of their puppies even move.

What Chanyeol discovers he likes the most is coming home from work to find Jongin asleep on the couch with the puppies curled up on his chest. It’s a sight that doesn’t fail to make his heart a little warm and stomach a little fluttery and he’s quiet as he changes out of his clothes into something more comfortably, tossing his bag by the desk in the corner of their bedroom.

He stops by the couch on the way to the kitchen, gently ruffles Jongin’s hair and pets his puppies. Jongin stirs slightly but it’s Jjangu who wakes up, peering open brown eyes that grow excited when he sees Chanyeol. Jjangu yips and jumps onto the floor, following Chanyeol into the kitchen as usual. Chanyeol starts on dinner for the night the smell of food eventually wakes Jongin up, an audible yawn making its way to Chanyeol’s ears.

Jongin walks into the kitchen a few seconds later, Potato scooped up in his arms, and he startles Chanyeol a bit as he presses his forehead between Chanyeol’s shoulder blades and mumbles, “Welcome home.” The puppy in his arms barks its own greeting and Chanyeol laughs, turning around to give Jongin a kiss, and getting a sleepy but happy smile in return.

And they eat dinner with Jjangu and Potato running around at their feet and Chanyeol sneaks them bits of food off his plate even though Jongin always tells him not to. Later, after the puppies drag them around for a walk around the block, and a round of Mario Kart that Chanyeol ends up losing somehow even though the dogs kept distracting Jongin, Chanyeol pulls a yawning Jongin to bed. The puppies follow and try desperately to jump up onto the bed, and Jongin laughs as he watches them struggle for a few minutes.

“Come here boys,” he says, reaching over the sides to pick them up one by one, and he giggles cutely when Jjangu licks his face.

Chanyeol slides into bed next to Jongin, and they sit there together and watch their puppies stumble over the mountains of their legs, slipping a bit against the bedsheets. Jongin rests his head on Chanyeol’s shoulder and he finds Chanyeol’s hand under the cover, squeezing gently, and Chanyeol catches the soft, content smile on his lips when he glances down at him. And in that moment Chanyeol thinks that this, with Jongin snug beside him and their two puppies running around them, is really what happiness is supposed to be.

He squeezes Jongin’s hand back and smiles, too.


End file.
